Now that I have had some time to calm down and get over my first lost deal (we declined to make an offer), I agree with all of you.

I haven't seen much if any decline in rents around Birmingham.

I believe a mixed balance is required of both but long term wealth is by appreciationYes you will have declines in prices etc but historically price declines are temporary

Would it be wise to wait a little longer before trying to get started just in case we are on the precipice of a major decline (like 07-09)?

So in terms of inflation your payment is declining 2-3 percent per year based on what money can buy.

@Dan Burstain I have seen you posting these figures of small single digit declines are the worst case scenario for Austin and citing historical impact from the Great Recession.

Do you see rising or declining property values in such bad areas?

At the same time I had to decline two potential guests outside the platform due to this booking. 

@Robert DufferAs an Upstate New Yorker I can say taxes are high, prices are lowish, and in general most populations are slowly declining.

We are basically forced to continue paying for water that we are NOT utilizing if we take into account:-Water bills from nearby properties with similar characteristics are way lower-The amount of persons living in the property is two-The fact that our bills are issued prior to the actual consumption, and do not take into account factors such as weather (no need for watering the yard), time away from the property (vacation), etc.On a separate note, when we attempted to register our property on the waitlist to get a meter installation (program that is now stopped due to potential lead repercussions), the system declined our property claiming that it was not eligible, although we follow all parameters indicated – a non-metered, residential account for a single family home.We believe this is a completely unfair, abusive, and unreasonable situation, which might affect other many citizens who are stuck within the same conundrum.Any suggestions?